


Hair

by msmarycrawley



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Cute, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-19 15:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22113052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msmarycrawley/pseuds/msmarycrawley
Summary: Shikamaru relishes in the little things.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	Hair

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant to be an exercise to see if I could write a fic in 1k words or less, a task that has proven impossible (though this time I did come pretty close). I’m rewatching Naruto now and was reminded of how much I love these two and their dynamic. Expect some more Naruto fics in the future!

Sometimes he really hated Naruto. The man just never knew when to quit. At work, the most banal things kept him busy for hours, and Shikamaru almost always had to stay late with him on the off chance that he was needed. Occasionally Naruto gained some awareness and let him go home early but not nearly as often as Shikamaru hoped. Work was just _work_ for him. He didn’t need to have a reason to want to go home. But Naruto took everything way too seriously. 3am. That’s what time it was when they finally left the office. 

Shikamaru tried not to bring his job home with him, but he was still annoyed by the time he got there. He opened the door quietly and tip toed to the kitchen, immediately sinking down into a chair and putting his head on the table. A few minutes later, he heard the lights flicker on and lifted himself up to see his wife enter the room. He smiled slightly. There was a 50/50 chance as to whether Temari would wait for him to come home before she fell asleep, but somehow on his worst days she was always there. It was like she had a sixth sense. He turned to look at her. “You didn’t have to stay up for me, you know,” he said quietly, like he always did every time she waited for him. “I know,” Temari replied, as she always did. The truth was no matter how horrible a day he had, it would instantly turn into a great one once he saw her face. She snaked her arm around his shoulder, lightly scratching his back as she passed behind him. “Want me to heat up something?” “Sure.” Shikamaru said, rubbing his eyes. He draped his arm behind his chair and watched as Temari flittered about the kitchen, opening up a packet of ramen to heat up in the microwave. Once he was sure her back was facing him, he scowled, reminded of his boss and his love for the noodles. Trouble was, he really did want ramen too. 

After the microwave started up, Temari slumped down at the table across from Shikamaru, imitating his exhausted expression and posture. He chuckled lightly. ”Bad day? What happened?” “Nothing,” He sighed. “It was just a long one.” And that was the truth. Genuinely nothing happened of note, which only annoyed him more. It was a pointless day. “Mmm”, Temari said, bringing her knees to her chest and giving him a sympathetic look. She didn’t press him, knowing that if something specific bothered him he would have said. “How’s Shikadai?” Shikamaru asked. It had been a long week, and he hadn’t interacted with his son nearly as much as he wanted to. Or his wife, for that matter. “He’s good. He had a test today,” Temari said, bringing a glass of water to her lips. “And he was out like a light at 10:00.” “He’s living the dream then,” Shikamaru said. His wife tutted and they spent the next few minutes in comfortable silence. The microwave beeped and they both made a move to go up and get the ramen, but Temari was faster. “You eat. I’ll run a bath,” she said, putting a bowl in front of him. ”No you don’t have to-” Before he could protest much, she was already off like a rocket. She was so efficient, and always had to be doing something. It was infuriatingly endearing. 

Shikamaru ate quickly and met Temari in the bathroom. She was kneeling down, testing the water. He saw that his pajamas and towels had already been neatly laid out and leaned against the door frame in awe. She made his life so much easier. When she did things like that, it made him fall in love with her all over again. “Stop standing there and get undressed,” Temari said firmly. He crossed his arms across his chest. “Only if you’ll help me.” Temari rolled her eyes and slowly stood up to meet him, closing the door behind them. She put her hands on his chest and kissed him deeply. Shikamaru sighed into it, holding the back of her neck. The warmth of the room had nothing on the warmth of her skin touching his. Eventually she pulled away, pressing her forehead to his briefly before she started unbuttoning his shirt. Now she was back to efficient mode, holding her hand out to take the clothes away immediately as he took them off. Once he was naked, Shikamaru sunk into the bath, groaning in pleasure. Of course it was the perfect temperature. Temari kneeled next to him, resting her head on her arm. “Dunk your head,” she said quietly. So he did. When he came up, his wife was ready with shampoo. She went behind his head outside of the tub and released his hair tie, massaging his scalp slowly. Shikamaru sunk back. The sensation felt so good he could almost cry. She held his head in her hands and applied a generous amount of shampoo, working slowly through his hair and making sure he felt every bit of it. He closed his eyes and felt limp. She could be so gentle, so giving. He loved this Temari, the Temari nobody got to see. His Temari. She knew what he needed more than he did. ”Rinse,” she said after a few minutes, and her wish was his command. When he came up for air she held his head close to her chest, smoothing back all of his hair and kissing him lightly on the forehead. ”I missed you,” she whispered. Shikamaru reached back and held her arm. “I missed you too.” He always missed her when she wasn’t around, even when she was nagging him. “Temari, you have no idea how much I appreciate you.” “Shut up,” she replied quickly, making him laugh. “Thank you for everything you do for us...for me. You work too hard.” A few serene moments passed. Temari started to stand up and Shikamaru held her hand longingly. They both gazed into each other’s eyes in affection. The bath was too small for the both of them, they tried before. Shikamaru wanted nothing more than her to stay with him. He gave each of her fingers a kiss. “I’ll see you in bed.” She said quietly. “See you in bed,” he repeated, sinking back down. She blew him a kiss as she closed the door behind her.

Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling and decided that a few bad days at work were worth it in the end.


End file.
